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Personal Best (film)
| music = | cinematography = Michael Chapman | editing = | studio = The Geffen Company | distributor = Warner Bros. | released = February 5, 1982 | runtime = 124 minutes | country = United States | language = English | gross = $5,672,311 }} Personal Best is a 1982 American drama film written, produced, and directed by Robert Towne. The movie stars Mariel Hemingway and real-life track star Patrice Donnelly, along with Scott Glenn as the coach of the track team. Plot summary Chris Cahill is a young track-and-field athlete who competes unsuccessfully in the 1976 U.S. Olympic trials. She meets a more experienced competitor, Tory Skinner, and their friendship evolves into a romantic relationship. The two are part of a group of women trying to qualify for the American track-and-field team bound for the 1980 Olympic Games. Despite their commitment to their training regimen, their dreams are thwarted when the United States announces its boycott of the Games for political reasons, leaving them with only the informal "personal best" marks they achieved during training to connote their achievements. Cast * Robert Horn * Charlie Jones – track and field announcer * Len Dawson – pro football announcer }} Production Hemingway trained extensively before the film began shooting.Roderick Mann, "Hemingway Weighs In At Her 'Best'", Los Angeles Times, February 4, 1982. Retrieved via Newspapers.com. Donnelly was one of the athletes who helped Towne with research while he was writing the screenplay. After he had trouble finding a professional actress to play Tory Skinner, she agreed to take the role. The production was halted in July 1980 because of a strike by the Screen Actors Guild. Many of the scenes were filmed in San Luis Obispo County. While the sign on the track said "Cal Poly", which is a university in San Luis Obispo, it was filmed at the track at Morro Bay High School. There are also two scenes filmed at restaurants in downtown San Luis Obispo; the Cigar Factory and 1865. Filming also took place in Eugene, Oregon. Locations included Hayward Field and the nearby Track Town Pizza restaurant. Towne clashed with David Geffen during the production. He would later sue Geffen and others for $110 million. Although Michael Chapman is listed as the director of photography, Reynaldo Villalobos and Caleb Deschanel did uncredited work. Reception Critical response Personal Best garnered a 71% approval rating at review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on 31 reviews.[https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/personal_best/ Personal Best]. Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert gave the film four out of a possible four stars and wrote, "This is a very physical movie, one of the healthiest and sweatiest celebrations of physical exertion I can remember...It is filled with the uncertainties, risks, cares, and rewards of real life, and it considers its characters' hearts and minds, and sees their sexuality as an expression of their true feelings for each other." Pauline Kael wrote that "There has probably never been a growing-up story presented on the screen so freely and uninhibitedly." Vincent Canby of The New York Times praised the acting of the four leads, but criticized the storyline and the "prettified slow-motion footage." Box office Personal Best did well in its initial limited engagement, but ultimately flopped at the box office. Accolades The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists: * 2008: AFI's 10 Top 10: ** Nominated Sports Film References in popular culture An SCTV sketch entitled Chariots of Eggs featured a film within a film parodying both this film and Chariots of Fire. The 1995 Team Dresch queercore album Personal Best took its name and cover imagery from the film. The film is referenced in an episode of the fourth season of Friends, in episode 10 of the first season of American Dad!, in the 1997 Ellen episode "The Puppy Episode", and in the 2012 novel The Miseducation of Cameron Post. References External links * Category:1982 films Category:American LGBT-related films Category:American films Category:1980s LGBT-related films Category:Lesbian-related films Category:LGBT-related sports films Category:Films shot in Eugene, Oregon Category:Films set in Oregon Category:Films about women's sports Category:The Geffen Film Company films Category:Warner Bros. films Category:Running films Category:Films about the 1980 Summer Olympics Category:Films about Olympic track and field Category:Directorial debut films Category:Films directed by Robert Towne Category:Films with screenplays by Robert Towne Category:Films scored by Jack Nitzsche